Welcome to wonderful and dynamic Seattle from your UW anesthesia chief residents!
Choosing a residency program is a very exciting and momentous time. As chief residents, we want to highlight why we love the University of Washington Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine!
About our training program
Residency is a time of personal and professional growth, and it is important to choose a program that is the right fit for you. We believe our combination of excellent clinical training, faculty committed to resident education, and robust didactics will provide you with everything you need to excel wherever you go after residency. Historically our graduates have been very successful at either matching into fellowship programs of their choice, or procuring jobs at academic medical centers or private groups.
Clinical training
Your anesthesiology training at UW will provide a strong clinical foundation for anything you may face coming out of residency. Our system provides specialty care for 5 states or the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho), covering almost 25% of the total US landmass. With this expansive geographic catchment region, the surgical complexity and diversity of your training experience are unparalleled. At Harborview Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, your experience may include everything from management of bear maulings to gunshot victims, and everything in between. At the University of Washington Medical Center, you will gain in-depth experience in the “big cases” unique to a quaternary care center including complex general surgery, oncologic surgery, cardiac surgery, transplant surgery, neurosurgery, and obstetrics. Even early on as a CA-1 you will have ample opportunities to do complex cases, such as liver transplants and craniotomies. At Seattle Children’s Hospital, a leading pediatric hospital in the country, you will experience caring for complex syndromic pediatric patients undergoing specialized surgery in addition to bread & butter cases with a diverse faculty who excel in resident education. The VA Puget Sound provides a unique opportunity to care for a vulnerable population with rotations in acute & chronic pain, pre-op clinic, regional anesthesia, and general operating rooms.
Education
Our education office and program directors have concentrated heavily on creating a robust formal didactic program at UW. Every 3 weeks on Wednesdays, each class receives a protected day away from clinical duties for problem-based learning discussions and simulation sessions. This is not including the excellent formal teaching from our subspecialty rotations. We also receive department-funded question bank subscriptions, an academic fund for textbook purchases, and unrestricted access to the huge UW Library database for scientific journals and medical texts.
Mentorship
Mentorship is critically important to success in residency. This is especially true in a large department. From days after you match, you will join your peers in the F.A.M. — the “Fantastic Anesthesia Mentorship” program! In this peer mentoring program, enthusiastic and experienced senior residents are grouped with junior residents to provide guidance during their residency journeys! Matches are made based on your specific goals and preferences to ensure a good fit. In addition to peer mentors, you will choose a formal faculty advisor at the start of your CA1 year, and will also have many opportunities to identify additional advisors and mentors based on your interests and goals.
Other opportunities
Our program rewards self-starters who can avail of the rich opportunities in the institution, hospitals, and city. As a result, there are several different pathways that residents have taken in our program. We have an excellent track record of jobs and fellowship placement, including a wide variety of fellowship opportunities at our own institution. If you are interested in pursuing research, there are extensive opportunities including a formal track through the Bonica Scholars Program. Simulation education and research is a big opportunity with multiple full-scale simulation centers at UW, Harborview, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. UW has robust multidisciplinary global health programs, and a global health leadership course is available during the CA-2 year. We have a variety of moonlighting experiences available to supplement salary if you wish, where residents are able to make extra pay for extra duty (EPED). Needless to say, if you have an interest or idea, you will find someone here who can support you with resources and guidance.
Wellness and resiliency
Resident well-being is a priority at UW. The department-funded Wellness Committee consists of an awesome group of residents from all years who organize social gatherings throughout the year. They also helped in the creation of “Wellness Rooms” at our major sites where residents share laughter and engaging conversations during breaks at work. We also have a Peer Support Program that provides a safe environment for confidential discussions to occur. It is available to all residents at any time. They assist residents with anything they need: from support following an emotionally challenging case to advice for planning fellowships and careers.
Outside of the hospital, Seattle is a culturally diverse city surrounded by beautiful water and breathtaking snow-capped mountains. The city offers an endless array of nature activities: hiking, camping, rock climbing, skiing/snowboarding, sailing, kayaking, surfing, and more. Seattle is also a rapidly growing city, with a robust culinary, coffee and micro-brew scene. We are well-known for our music, but also have a number of professional sports teams including baseball, football, soccer, and hockey! Sea-Tac is a bustling international airport offering opportunities to travel abroad during vacations, and possible 2-week vacation blocks allow international adventures.
Diversity
At the University of Washington, diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity, and justice for all. We believe that we are strongest when we have colleagues from all backgrounds, ethnicities and identities. Our department has its own Community Building & Belonging Council whose mission is to promote an inclusive and equitable working environment for the advancement of all faculty, staff and trainees. At the resident level, the recently founded Diversity Committee partners closely with program leadership to create and improve a culture of diversity and inclusion within our own training program. We have the unique opportunity to care for a diverse set of patients — both coming from across the WWAMI region, Seattle’s refugee population, and different immigrant communities locally. Diversity among physicians makes us better providers and ultimately leads to better patient care.
Resident benefits
You may have questions or concerns about UW Anesthesia given the press regarding the union negotiations. We would love to provide our Chief Resident perspective. The Resident and Fellow Physician Union – Northwest (formerly known as UWHA) is an asset to our residency. In many programs, the resident perspective may be subject to whims and changes over time. This is not the case at UW. The union provides constant advocacy of the resident perspective and allows for benefits that extend far beyond what any individual department could negotiate. Check out the benefits here from childcare to transportation to salary stipends!
Perspectives on anesthesia
Each of us has forged our own path through this program. That is the beauty of our program. Whether you are interested in pursuing academic medicine, private practice, or a non-traditional path, you will be supported in this department. Residents who are motivated, work as a team player, and thrive on opportunity will excel in our program.
Meet the chiefs
Fadel Barbour, MBBS
Bin Huang, MD
Hey everyone! I’m Bin, the administrative chief for both Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH) and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VA). I grew up in the Midwest and went to the University of Minnesota for both undergraduate and medical school. After finishing medical school, my partner and I relocated to Seattle for residency, and we’ve both been really happy to call the PNW home!
I chose UW due to the complexity and diversity of cases spread across all four training sites, spanning from our level 1 trauma experience at Harborview Medical School, to medically complex oncologic and transplant cases at UW Medical Center – Montlake, to our wide range of pediatric and veteran patients at Seattle Children’s and VA Puget Sound respectively. I’m excited to become a fully trained anesthesiologist who is able to handle any situation after the training I receive at UW.
Seattle has been a great place to live as a resident. One of the biggest perks is how easy it is to get outside. On a typical weekend, you can easily head out for a hike, spend time on the water, or just enjoy the views around the city. In addition, the food scene within Seattle is accessible with incredible variety. You’ll often find me grabbing happy hour or dinner with co-residents and trying new places around the city!
Calvin Lee, DO
Hi everyone, thanks for taking the time to explore a bit more about our program here at UW. I grew up in the greater Seattle area, so the Pacific Northwest has always felt like home to me. I went to the University of Washington for undergrad, worked in Kirkland as a surgical assistant, attended medical school in Yakima, and now back to the stomping grounds for residency training (my top choice!).
As the academic chief resident, I care a lot about creating a training environment where people feel supported and included, not just challenged academically. Residency can be tough, and I think it’s important that we look out for each other and build a true sense of community. It’s been really meaningful to continue my training in the same place I grew up, and to give back to a program and region that have shaped me along the way.
Having a place that makes it easy to step away and recharge outside the hospital really matters. Seattle is an incredible place for that—whether it’s hiking in the mountains, biking along the water, skiing in the winter, or just getting outside for some fresh air, there’s no shortage of ways to stay active. Being in a city that makes it easy to pursue your hobbies helps create balance, and that balance can make a big difference in how you experience training day to day.
In short, this anesthesiology program offers an exceptional, well-rounded training experience, and I highly recommend it as your future destination. I hope to speak with some of you all in person during our meet-and-greet sessions!
Jaafar Zaidi, MD
Hello everyone! My name is Jaafar, and I am the administrative chief resident for Harborview Medical Center. I grew up outside of Chicago and then pursued my undergraduate and medical education at Northwestern University.
I remember my UW interview day being an incredible experience. I was impressed with the caliber of training provided to the residents, and the attendings and administration I met that day were very warm and welcoming. I immediately felt a sense of belonging, and just a few months later I found myself moving to Seattle to start training at our program.
Being a resident at UW has been such a rewarding experience. Residents participate in all types of cases of all levels of medical complexity, including some of the most unique cases in the country. One of the greatest strengths of our program is the variety we see across our multiple hospitals. Between Harborview, UW Medical Center – Montlake, Seattle Children’s, and VA Puget Sound; residents see more than every side of anesthesia they will encounter in the world after residency. Our hospital is also home to amazing and dedicated staff, including the attendings, co-residents, CRNAs, and anesthesia techs we interact with everyday.
Seattle itself is a unique city and a strength of our program. The city offers something for everyone, whether you enjoy nature and hiking or vibrant urban life. In my spare time, I find myself watching Seattle’s incredible sports teams, eating at restaurants with my co-residents, or just enjoying a nice drive through nature.
Thank you for your interest in our program!